Illya watched with wide eyes as the carnage unfolded in front of her.
Saber shot forward at unnatural speeds, going beyond anything that her eyes could keep up with.
"Scutum Sobiescianum!"
"Protector of the Earth! Svalinn!"
Rin and Luvia tried to shield themselves with their magic, but there was no way such magic would stand up against the monster they were facing.
Saber charged up a beam of energy and attacked.
The blackened legendary sword tore through the earth and the sky, and vaporized the girls where they stood.
Illya felt the ground slip from beneath her feet as she witnessed the bloody death of her friends. Ruby slipping from her powerless fingers.
Suddenly, Illya felt a wet, slick substance on her knees, making her look down, only for her eyes to widen in fright and despair.
Miyu's broken body lay by her side, bleeding everywhere. Sapphire's shattered body lay by the dead girl's side.
"Someone....anyone....stop this. I....I don't want this!"
Her desperate plea was answered by none other than her beloved brother, who appeared out of nowhere and started battling Saber, like a knight in shining armor.
And yet, that hope did not last long as his body suddenly exploded in a mess of swords, with Saber not even having to lift a finger.
Fear finally overrode the little girl's despair, forcing her to flee into the nearby woods.
She did not know how long she had run. She only knew that she had to get to safety.
Collapsing at the base of one of the trees, Illya sobbed.
"What do I do now? Ruby? Rin, Luvia, Miyu, Onii-chan. They are all gone.....Ruby?"
Getting no response from the normally talkative Kaleidostick, Illya looked down with trepidation.
Only to find her magical artifact shattered beyond repair. The star at the center of the stick now nothing but an empty ring.
She was now well and truly alone.
She could not help but sob bitterly at the sight.
"Why?.....why is this happening?.....what did I do wrong?"
"Is it not obvious?"
The voice startled her, making her look up to find her father and mother staring down at her with a war smile.
Yet, she felt no comfort. Only fear.
Because standing in front of her was not the usual Kiritsugu or Irisviel.
He wore a combat uniform and armor, crimson, grey, and black in coloration. With his hair bleached white and skin tanned beyond the natural.
She wore a strange dress that felt regal. Yet, the black stains and corruption reeking off of them felt anything but benevolent. Her crimson eyes lacked the usual warmth and mischief that belonged to her mother.
"It is because you do not deserve to be a magical girl. My baby. Because you do not belong in this side of the world."
"I....I.."
Illya could not reply to the soft words of her mother while her father simply stared at her with a steely gaze.
Once again, she ran.
She ran until her feet bled, until her lungs felt like they were on fire, like she would die if she did not stop right there.
But when she stopped, she saw it.
A reflection. A sight that showed what she could be. What she could become.
With tan skin similar to Shirou's, and pale hair that was tinted a light pink. She cut a striking figure. Her golden eyes shone with cold mockery while her black armor and crimson cloak bellowed in the wind.
"You are weak. You can't protect anyone you hold dear."
The reflection circled Illya like a predator.
"Rin and Luvia died because of you."
"Onii-chan died because of you."
"Miyu died because of you."
"You are no magical girl. You are a liability."
The reflection grinned at Illya's downcast expression.
"So, why not let me take charge?"
With her grin still in place, the reflection tried to place her arm on Illya's heart.
Only for the world to break with a single roar that resounded across the sky.
"ILLYA!!"
————————————————————-
With a start, Illya sat up in her bed, cold sweat soaking her clothes and bed, while Ruby floated in front of her with worry.
"Illya? Are you alright? It looked like you were having a nightmare, so I woke you up."
Illya looked to the side, seeing that it was eight in the morning.
Her eyes widened at the time, realizing that she would be late for school if she didn't get ready.
However, before she could get up, she felt dizzy and fell back on the bed, unable to process what was going on.
"You shouldn't move around that much, Illya. Sella-san came in an hour ago and found out that you have a fever. So, she already called ahead to the school and took the day off for you."
"B-But, I told Onii-chan that I would meet him at the temple in the evening-"
"Shirou-san already left for school and told me not to worry about such. Only on helping you recover."
Illya sighed at those words as her mood turned complicated again.
Her kind and gentle Onii-chan was always like this.
And yet, when she remembered his wide back protecting her, Miyu, Luvia, and Rin, she could not find a way to associate that figure with the man she knew.
The last two days truly were hell on her mind.
"Don't worry, Illya. I've already contacted Sapphire, who is bringing Miyu to your room today. So, you won't have to worry about being bored."
The way Ruby giggled mischievously did not fill Illya with confidence, but she could not help but smile happily, knowing that her friend would be coming over to play.
'I wonder what Onii-chan is doing right now?'
————————————————————————-
'What the hell is this situation?'
Shirou Emiya had a stiff expression as he walked through the gates of Kuoh Academy. His posture straight and body tense, ready to bolt at any moment.
And the reason for this was, of course, the usual suspects.
"Damned tube-curls!"
"Gorilla!"
"You wanna go?"
"You think I am afraid of you?"
Rin and Luvia were the very picture of perfection. With smiles that made them look angelic, combined with their good figures and beautiful looks, there was no doubt that they were striking figures that garnered much attention from the students around them.
Unfortunately, the whispers escaping their mouths could only be placed in R-rated movies.
It was fortunate that nobody but Shirou could hear those words. Because if the boys and girls who were staring at the two with dreamy expressions were to hear them, there was no doubt that their hearts would break.
Shirou sighed tiredly and ran his hand through his crimson hair, enchanted with Luvia's magic to hide the real color.
"You two, can't you be serious when walking into enemy territory? Especially since this is your first proper day at school since you enrolled here more than two weeks ago?"
Rin and Luvia fell silent while still smiling, but the look they gave Shirou was as if they were looking at an idiot.
"Shero, this is hardly enemy territory."
"The idiot is right, Emiya-kun. The devils that rule this territory may come from a good background, but there is no way they will cross someone from the Clock Tower. Not unless they want the Grandmaster to pay their leaders a visit."
Once again, Shirou could not help but sigh tiredly.
'Man. Why do things like this always happen to me?'
"Damned bastard."
"Die."
"Fucking pervert."
"Waste of space."
"Piece of shit."
Shirou smiled wryly as those whispers fell on his ears, despite not being the target of those words.
'Then again, I guess I don't have it as bad as my 'student''
Shirou glanced back, spotting Issei's equally stiff expression while Asia clung to him happily, having been enrolled in the school by mom and dad.
Unlike Shirou, who was quite popular in the school, much to his ignorance, Issei had a rather terrible reputation in the school. So, it was no surprise that he was catching a lot of flak for walking into school with a beautiful girl like Asia Argento.
Issei turned towards Shirou with a pleading look, hoping that his Shishou would find a way to bail him out of this situation before his body was found in a ditch somewhere.
Unfortunately, the Emiya had no solution to this problem and silently shook his head, much to Issei's despair.
Soon, the group arrived at the Staff wing, where Rin, Luvia, and Asia separated from the two boys, heading out to get registered and complete a few other formalities.
As Shirou and Issei walked through the corridor, Issei spoke solemnly.
"Shishou, if I end up dead by the end of the day, please tell my parents I love them."
Shirou knocked on Issei's head a little bit.
"Don't be so dramatic. Nothing that bad will happen-"
"Issei! You damned bastard!!"
"Traitor! We finally got you!!"
Like a living storm, Motohama and Matsuda swept Issei away from the corridor and out of the building while the poor Hyoudou screamed for his life.
"....Ok. I stand corrected."
"I don't think it is that bad. Emiya."
"Sona's right, EMiya-kun~"
Shirou stared blankly at the roof as a single thought ran through his mind.
'Can this day get any worse?'
Resigning himself to his fate, Shirou turned around to face Sona Shitori, who was giving him a neutral look, and Rias Gremory, who had a playful look.
"We have a lot to talk about, Emiya. Meet us in the Student Council room after school. And bring Hyoudou and Argento with you."
'Yup. It can definitely get worse.'
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Author Notes:
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